Nov 14

Crytek celebrates fifth anniversary of original Crysis game

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When the original Crysis video game launched on November 13, 2007, it was epic. The visuals and graphics that the game generated brought even high-end gaming PCs of the day to their knees and spurred gamers around the world to upgrade. The game also spawned one of the best-known Internet memes of the day when it seemed everyone was asking, “But will it play Crysis?”

It’s interesting that we’re celebrating the fifth birthday of Crysis. I played through the game again not long ago, and the game still has visuals good enough to look like a much newer game. Since the original game launched in 2007 there have been two other games released in the franchise.

The fourth game, Crysis 3 is scheduled to launch in February of 2013. Earlier this year, Crytek started offering the original Crysis as a digital download on the PlayStation Network, and Xbox LIVE. EA and Crytek are also offering the original Crysis as a free bonus to those who pre-order Crysis 3.

Perhaps the most interesting thing I’ve heard about the Crysis franchise in years also surfaced this week. The head of Crytek studios announced this week that the entire franchise was just now nearing break even. I can only imagine that creating a video game that still looks new and impressive today, five years ago, must have cost a fortune.


Crytek celebrates fifth anniversary of original Crysis game is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


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Nov 14

EverQuest II launches new expansion called Chains of Eternity

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EverQuest was one of the first MMORPG games on the market and has been around for many years. The game has been outshone over the last several years by World of Warcraft, but EverQuest still has a faithful following. If you’re a fan of EverQuest II, you will be glad to hear a new expansion pack has launched for the game.

The expansion pack is called Chains of Eternity. The expansion tasks players with fixing an imbalance in the realm of the afterlife that is bringing the mortal and immortal realms to the edge of demise. Players will have to travel to Ethernere, which is the realm of the afterlife in the game to discover the problem and fix it.

The expansion pack adds new features to the game, including a new level max of 95. The game expansion also adds new prestige abilities for adventures and tradeskillers. Other new features include a Spirit capstone adornment that grows in power with the player, and two overland zones in the spirit realm are now available to explore.

The expansion also adds new dungeons, quests, and in-game items to discover. In all, there are nine new dungeons in the expansion and new quest lines. The expansion pack is available for $39.99 in standard form. The Collectors Edition offers in-game bonus items and is available for $89.99.


EverQuest II launches new expansion called Chains of Eternity is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


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Nov 08

Navy SEALs reprimanded for participation in “Medal of Honor: Warfighter”

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Several Navy SEALs have been reprimanded as a result of working as paid consultants for the video game “Medal of Honor: Warfighter.” The issue isn’t so much with the consultancy itself as it is about the secrets the SEALs revealed regarding things that aren’t supposed to be talked about. So far, seven out of eleven SEALs have been punished.

The SEALs in question are part of the now-famous SEAL Team Six, responsible for killing Osama bin Laden. Seven Team Six members, as well as four SEALs who are no longer part of the unit, worked as paid consultants for the video game. The first seven have all been reprimanded, while the last four are “under investigation.”

Reportedly, the SEALs gave away Navy secrets while working as consultants. It hasn’t been reported what exactly they told, which we’ll likely never find out given the nature of the information. The game itself doesn’t deal with the Bin Laden raid, but does display realistic missions, something that has been a bragging point for the series. The SEALs were also in violation of seeking attention, so to speak, something that is frowned upon.

That seems a bit odd, given the overwhelming spotlight that has been on SEAL Team Six since the Bin Laden raid. In addition, several activity duty SEALs are part of the film “Act of Valor,” having received approval for their participation. As for the SEALs that were punished, they received letters of reprimand and have lost their eligibility for promotion.

[via CBS News]


Navy SEALs reprimanded for participation in “Medal of Honor: Warfighter” is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


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Nov 08

Activision announces in-game live streaming via YouTube for Black Ops II

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If you’re a fan of shooters, odds are you’re intending to purchase Black Ops II when it launches on November 13. This should be one of the most popular games of the year, and Activision has announced an interesting new feature today that will be available when the game launches. Activision is enabling live streaming functionality for the first time in-game via YouTube.

That means you can share your gaming prowess live on YouTube without needing any extra hardware or software. Just be sure before you share via live stream, that you are actually good at the game. The live streaming feature via YouTube will be available for Xbox 360 gamers and PS3 gamers.

I see no mention of the feature working for PC gamers. The feature is designed to allow live streaming of multiple player League Playing games and will stream the player’s webcam and audio commentary while playing. Knowing how gamers tend to talk when playing online, I imagine a lot of F bombs are about to be dropped on YouTube.

The Call of Duty Elite service expands the live streaming experience with other features such as the ability for viewers on Call of Duty Elite to see the player card of the user that is streaming. This information allows the viewer to dig deeper into the game to find information about class load outs, recent maps data, and career stats across the Call of Duty games on elite. The streaming video can be viewed by users on web browsers, mobile phones, and tablets via Call of Duty Elite and individual YouTube user channels.


Activision announces in-game live streaming via YouTube for Black Ops II is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


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Nov 08

80s 8-bit gaming classic Karateka hits Xbox Live Arcade

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If you were around in the 80s and liked to play video games, you might remember the eight-bit classic karate fighting game called Karateka. The game was created by Jordan Mechner, the person behind Prince of Persia. The original game was created by Mechner in his dorm room at Yale using an Apple II computer.

If you played that game and have fond memories, you’ll be glad to hear that the game is coming to the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Arcade. The game is described as a karate-wrapped love story set in feudal Japan. The goal of the game is for the player to save Mariko from the warlord Akuma.

The game offers a rhythm-based combat mechanic that the developer promises is easier to grasp and challenging at the same time. The game offers three different playable characters and three different endings. The three playable characters include a brute, a noble monk, and her True Love.

The brute is the easiest for the player to win with, but the developer says the most satisfying and romantic ending can only be unlocked by playing as the True Love. The game has a 40-minute single play-through experience and allows users to unlock more difficult achievements and endings as their skills improve and the game is replayed. The game is available for the Xbox on November 7 for 800 Microsoft points with a trial version available. The game will also be coming in November to Steam for $9.99 and to the iPhone.


80s 8-bit gaming classic Karateka hits Xbox Live Arcade is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


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Nov 07

NASCAR The Game: Inside Line now in stores

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If you are a fan of NASCAR or racing games in general, Activision has announced that its racing game NASCAR The Game: Inside Line is now available to purchase in retail outlets around the country. The video game is available for the Xbox, PS3, and Nintendo Wii. The game promises an authentic, fast-paced racing experience.

The game features more than 40 of NASCAR’s top drivers and teams, including Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon, and Danica Patrick. The game also features 23 officially licensed tracks, including Daytona and others. Serious NASCAR fans will really like that this game includes for the first time ever telemetry data from the past two race seasons.

Players will be able to relive and rewrite historic NASCAR moments from a dozen different scenarios. The game also has available download content called the NASCAR The Game Inside Line Pack that will have new downloadable content and challenges offered throughout the 2013 race season. The game offers career mode allowing the player to live the life of a NASCAR driver during an entire season and compete for points.

The game has an authentic race weekend where players can learn the track and hone their skills during practice and qualifying races before every official race match. There are lots of customization options for cars allowing the player to choose paint scheme, performance upgrades, and tune the car for precise handling of each track. The game will also support multiple player races with up to 16 players on the Xbox and PS3 versions. The game is available now for $59.99 on the Xbox and PS3 and for $49.99 on the Nintendo Wii.


NASCAR The Game: Inside Line now in stores is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


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Nov 06

EA & DICE celebrate 10 years of Battlefield with free download of Battlefield 1942

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EA and DICE have announced something special for fans of the Battlefield franchise. To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the original Battlefield 1942, EA and DICE are giving away a free PC download the full version of Battlefield 1942. The game is available exclusively on Origin.com.

EA and DICE are also giving the game away at no cost to celebrate passing 2 million members globally since the launch of Battlefield 3 in June. It’s hard to believe that the original Battlefield 1942 launched 10 years ago. EA says that Battlefield 3 has over 5.2 million active players each month.

EA is also offering up some information on Battlefield 3 since its launch in October of 2011. Since the game launched there have been 95 billion total heals performed in the game. EA says that there have been 4 billion total revives, and 3 billion vehicles destroyed.

Gamers have fired 2 trillion virtual bullets. EA is also talking a bit about the new map packs coming this year for Battlefield 3 Premium. The next map pack is Battlefield 3: Aftermath, which will launch in December for non-Premium players. Aftermath will bring new maps and new weapons, including a crossbow.


EA & DICE celebrate 10 years of Battlefield with free download of Battlefield 1942 is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


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Nov 06

Microsoft floats massive Halo 4 glyph over London

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To celebrate the launch of the video game Halo 4, Microsoft tied a gigantic Halo 4 glyph underneath a helicopter and flew it over London. According to Microsoft, the glyph symbol is one of the largest and brightest man-made structures ever to be flown over capital city. Gigantic glyph was 50-feet in diameter and weighed over 3 tons.

The glyph offered some sort of dynamic effects providing a light show to 500 fans and spectators watching the event. Microsoft flew the glyph over the Thames River from Greenwich Peninsula to Tower Bridge. The path took the glyph past some of the most iconic landmarks in London.

Halo 4 is officially available as of today, and many locations around the world held special launch events last night. Microsoft reports that over 10,000 stores in 40 different countries held midnight opening events. There were over 350 locations in the UK holding launch events for the video game. The GAME Westfield Stratford flagship store held an event with 350 fans lined up to get the game at midnight.

Microsoft offered a few key facts about the glyph, including that was 50-feet in diameter and weighed 3.2 tons. It took a team of 50 designers, engineers, and fabricators to create the glyph. It took eight weeks to design and construct the glyph, which was covered with 455 LED light strips mounted on the 37 panels. There were 113,096 LEDs of pure orange color consuming 20KW of power. The dynamic lighting effects were controlled using an onboard computer and remote mounted on a boat following the glyph. The helicopter flew at a height of 600 feet and the glyph itself was 350 feet above the river.


Microsoft floats massive Halo 4 glyph over London is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


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Nov 01

Halo 4: King of the Hill Fuel by Mountain Dew app comes to iOS

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Halo 4 fans can get their hands on the new app that uses location-based augmented reality. The game app will work on both the iPad and the iPhone, and is designed to help promote Halo 4, Mountain Dew, and 7-Eleven stores. The game comes from developer Ogmento.

The app is available worldwide but is focused on the US and Canada. The game is designed to allow players to fight to be the King of the Hill at their local 7-Eleven store. The app allows players to win all sorts of in game awards, including digital Halo 4 gear such as Double XP and an exclusive Custom Locus Helmet for US players.

Players in Canada can win a custom Ghost Prop Avatar. The game app requires players to scan their favorite Halo 4 themed Mountain Dew and Doritos products to get supplies in games to keep the battle going. The game went available officially today in version 1.0 and is 39.2 MB in size.

The game is also limited to players 17 and up. The location-based game play ties game action to real-world stores and allows players to compete on local and national levels. It’s odd to me to see this game at all considering Halo 4 will only be offered on the Xbox. I guess Microsoft knows there’s not enough Windows Phone users out there to make effective marketing campaign if the game was limited to its own platform.

[via The AppSide]


Halo 4: King of the Hill Fuel by Mountain Dew app comes to iOS is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


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Oct 31

Microsoft transforms a country for Halo 4 launch

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Microsoft has transformed the Principality of Liechtenstein for the launch of Halo 4. Microsoft tells the transformation is the world’s first and says is the only brand to ever transform the country by taking over some of its most iconic landmarks. Among the landmarks that Microsoft took over include a 13th-century castle and a working mine.

Microsoft changed the Principality of Liechtenstein to turn it into a real-life replica of the Halo universe for the launch of Halo 4 in early November. The Microsoft transformation lasted only a day as the landscapes of the countryside became the stage for an alternate universe inspired by the video game. Microsoft invited media and fans from 16 different countries to take part in the experience.

The recreation of the Halo 4 universe is called a theatrical experience. Media folks and fans had to travel to a secret location before being thrust into a war zone that re-created the brutal battlegrounds with explosions, sound effects, and cinematic set builds. I can only imagine that this was incredibly cool.

If you somehow missed all the news and talk of Halo 4, this game is the start of a new saga in the franchise and will launch on Tuesday, November 6. This has been one of the most anticipated games of the year. One of the best things about the build up to the launch for me has been the Forward Unto Dawn live-action series that ties in with the events leading up to the video game.



Microsoft transforms a country for Halo 4 launch is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


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